Israel fought, and prevailed and took the land God had promised them in Joshua 11:18 “For many days Joshua made war with all these kings”. Then, the days of war were over, yet in Joshua 13:1 Now Joshua was old and advanced in years, and Yahweh said to him, “You are old and advanced in years, and very much of the land remains to be possessed”. It wasn’t that Joshua had failed, he had been faithful in all God asked of him. But it is a recognition that Gods plans and purposes span beyond of the limits, the frailty, of any one mans life. It was time to give the inheritance to the Tribes of Israel. It was time for them to possess their own lands. It was time for Israel, the people, to believe God for themselves and take God at his word in Joshua 13:6 “I will drive them out from before the Israelites; only allocate it to Israel as an inheritance just as I have commanded you”.

A Great Army Like Sand on the Seashore

Joshua 11:1–8

Joshua Captured All the Cities of These Kings

Joshua 11:9–15 

For Many Days Joshua Made War

Joshua 11:16–23
The entrance of Israel into this land took time in

Joshua 11:18 For many days Joshua made war with all these kings.

and “Joshua took all this land” in Joshua 11:16 and “he captured all their kings, struck them, and killed them” in Joshua 11:17 because the Lord was using Israel to bring judgment against these people in

Joshua 11:20 For it was Yahweh that hardened their hearts, to meet Israel in war in order to utterly destroy them without mercy, that they would destroy them just as Yahweh commanded Moses.

Even so, this was no easy task and required, as the Lord had told Joshua in the beginning, that he be “strong and very courageous”. So, the war was over in

Joshua 11:23 Joshua took all the land according to all that Yahweh had spoken to Moses; and Joshua gave it as an inheritance to Israel, according to their tribal divisions, and the land rested from war.

The Israelites Defeated Them

Joshua 12:1–6

As A Possession to the Tribes of Israel

Joshua 12:7–24 

Very Much of the Land Remains to be Possessed

Joshua 13:1–6
As much as Joshua had done, there was still much more to do. The days of war were over, but Israel had not yet taken possession of the land in

Joshua 13:1 Now Joshua was old and advanced in years, and Yahweh said to him, “You are old and advanced in years, and very much of the land remains to be possessed.

This was not a rebuke of Joshua or a complaint that Joshua had not done what had been asked of him, in fact, throughout the preceeding record there are many statements confirming that Joshua had fulfilled what he had been commanded to do as in

Joshua 11:15 Just as Yahweh commanded Moses his servant, so Moses commanded Joshua, and Joshua did; he left nothing undone that Yahweh had commanded Moses.

There are though, two remaining facts:

• Joshua was advanced in years, maybe eighty-five having begun this campaign at eighty.
• While the kings of the region had been deposed and their governments and armies demolished, “very much of the land remains to be possessed”.

The charge to possess the land and drive out the remaining people falls to the tribes that are inheriting and the Lord delegates this work to them with his promise “I will drive them out from before the Israelites; only allocate it to Israel as an inheritance just as I have commanded you.” in Joshua 13:6. 

Divide This Land as an Inheritance

Joshua 13:7–14
From the beginning, Joshua was charged with taking the land and delivering it to Israel as their inheritance and now, the Lord tells Joshua it is time to divide the land in

Joshua 13:7 “Therefore, divide this land as an inheritance to the nine tribes and the half-tribe of Manasseh.”

There were twelve tribes, but two and a half tribes had taken their inheritance from land before they crossed the Jordan river so the record of the division of land begins with them in

Joshua 13:8 With it the Reubenites, and the Gadites received their inheritance, which Moses gave them beyond the Jordan to the east, just as Moses Yahweh’s servant gave to them:

Then, there is this ominous statement relating to the Reubenites and the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh and the possession of their inheritance in

Joshua 13:13 But the Israelites did not drive out the Geshurites or the Maacathites; Geshur and Maacah live among Israel to this day.

Study Verses

• Joshua 11:16–23 For Many Days Joshua Made War
• Joshua 13:1–6 Very Much of the Land Remains to be Possessed
• Joshua 13:7–14 Divide This Land as an Inheritance

Today’s Reading

• Joshua 11:1-23
• Joshua 12:1-24
• Joshua 13:1-14

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The enemies of Israel see the annihilation of Jericho, then Ai, and know Israel is advancing to their territory so they agree to band together to fight. But one group, the Hivites, decide to seek peace with Israel and deceive the elders and Joshua into a covenant as allies. The Hivites have one of the largest cities and three other cities and a great number of warriors so this is a big loss to the enemies of Israel who turn to Gibeon, the city of the Hivites, to destroy them. When Gibeon calls on Joshua, he seeks the Lord in Joshua 10:8 And Yahweh said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid of them, for I have given them into your hand; no one will withstand you”. The Lord sends hailstones on the opposing armies and in Joshua 10:12–13 Then Joshua spoke to Yahweh, on the day Yahweh gave the Amorites over to the Israelites, and he said in the sight of Israel, “Sun in Gibeon, stand still, and moon, in the valley of Aijalon.” 13 And the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, until the nation took vengeance on its enemies.

All The Kings Gathered Together to Fight

Joshua 9:1–8
As the word spreads of Israel’s march through and destruction of Jericho and Ai, the kings of the region band together in

Joshua 9:1–2 Now when all the kings who were beyond the Jordan in the hill country and in the Shephelah, and on all the coast of the great sea toward Lebanon—the Hittites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites—heard of this, 2 they gathered themselves together to fight with one accord against Joshua and Israel.

But one group, the inhabitants of Gibeon, the Hivites in Joshua 9:7, develop a scheme to present themselves to Joshua as a people from far away that want to become Israel’s allies in

Joshua 9:6 And they went to Joshua at the camp at Gilgal and said to him and to the men of Israel, “We have come from a far land; so then make a covenant with us.”

Make A Covenant With Us

Joshua 9:9–17
These people that appeared to be travelers, and who presented old food and wineskins in

Joshua 9:12–13 This is our bread; it was hot when we took it from our houses as provisions on the day we set out to come to you. But now, look, it is dry and crumbled. 13 These are the wineskins that we filled new, but look, they have burst; and these are our clothes and sandals that have worn out from the very long journey.”

These people that said in Joshua 9:11 “We are your servants; so then make a covenant with us.” were accepted by the leaders and Joshua in

Joshua 9:14–15 So the leaders took from their provisions, but they did not ask direction from Yahweh. 15 And Joshua made peace with them, and he made a covenant with them to allow them to live happily, and the leaders of the congregation swore an oath to them.

and if we read this carefully, we find an interesting form of government among the Israelites. This was not Joshua ruling as a king, it was not dictatorial or authoritarian. Joshua was the leader, so he “made a covenant”, but it was “the leaders of the congregation” that “swore an oath to them”. This was a very representative form of government where they talked and agreed together. However, in this case, “they did not ask direction from Yahweh”.

It wasn’t until a few days later when Israel prepared to move on the next cities that they found they had made a covenant with their neighbors in

Joshua 9:16 And it happened that at the end of three days, after they made a covenant with them, they heard that they were their neighbors and living among them. 

We Were Very Afraid For Our Lives

Joshua 9:18–27
As Israel moved forward, they did not attack the cities of the Hivites, (Gibeon, Kephirah, Beeroth, and Kiriath Jearim in Joshua 9:17) and in Joshua 9:18 “all the congregation murmured against their leaders”. Though this was a representative form of government, the people held their representatives accountable for this breach in what God had commanded them all to do. Now, the leaders give account for their actions in

Joshua 9:19–21 But all the leaders of the congregation said, “We have sworn to them by Yahweh the God of Israel, and so we cannot touch them. 20 This we will do to them: we will let them live so that wrath will not be on us because of the oath we swore to them.” 21 And the leaders said to them, “Let them live.” So they became woodcutters and water carriers for all the congregation, just as the leaders had said to them.

This satisfied the people and, because of their deception, Joshua questioned them saying in Joshua 9:22 “Why have you deceived us?” They respond in

Joshua 9:24 And they answered Joshua and said, “Because it was told with certainty to your servants that Yahweh your God commanded Moses his servant to give to you all the land and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land before you, so we were very afraid for our lives because of you, and so we did this thing.

So, Joshua pronounced a curse on the Hivites in

Joshua 9:23 Therefore you are cursed; some of you will always be slaves as woodcutters and water carriers for the house of my God.”

So, while the cities and lives of the Hivites were spared, their culture was disrupted. They would serve Israel in the places and with the numbers of people Israel chose, dispersing them from place to place as Israel chose. 

Because It Made Peace With The Israelites

Joshua 10:1–10
This action by the Hivites to make peace with Israel now makes them the target, the enemy of the others in the land. The Hivites were among the kings who had said they would band together against Israel in Joshua 9:1-2. But the Hivites went on their own to make peace with Israel and this fear in the “Adoni-Zedek king of Jerusalem” in Joshua 10:1 because in

Joshua 10:2 he became very afraid because Gibeon was a very large city, like one of the royal cities, and because it was larger than Ai, and all its men were mighty warriors.

The alliance of kings against Israel had lost one of its largest members and all of their warriors and they turn their anger toward Gibeon. They were afraid of Israel, but thought they could defeat Gibeon in

Joshua 10:4–5 “Come up and help me, and let us attack Gibeon, because it has made peace with Joshua and the Israelites.” 5 And the five kings of the Amorites, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon, gathered together and went up, they and all their forces, and they laid siege to Gibeon and made war against it.

Now, Joshua has a problem, these people that had deceived him to gain peace with him are calling out for Israel to defend them. The agreement had been for Gibeon to serve Israel, but not this. But God, can turn a bad situation to our good and in

Joshua 10:8 And Yahweh said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid of them, for I have given them into your hand; no one will withstand you.

 

More Died By Hail Stones Than Israelites Killed

Joshua 10:11–19
The Lord fought this battle for Israel in

Joshua 10:11 And as they were fleeing from Israel, they were on the slope of Beth-horon, and Yahweh threw huge stones from the heavens on them as far as Azekah; and more died by the hail stones than those whom the Israelites killed by the sword.

Even so, this was a huge battle and Joshua needed more time to completely overcome their enemies who were now scattering, so, in

Joshua 10:12–13 Then Joshua spoke to Yahweh, on the day Yahweh gave the Amorites over to the Israelites, and he said in the sight of Israel, “Sun in Gibeon, stand still, and moon, in the valley of Aijalon.” 13 And the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, until the nation took vengeance on its enemies. Is it not written in the scroll of Jashar? The sun stood still in the middle of the heaven and was not in haste to set for about a full day.

The sun held its place in the sky until “Joshua and the Israelites had finished striking them with a very great blow, until they perished” in Joshua 10:20 and then “all the people returned to the camp safely” in Joshua 10:21.

Put Your Feet On The Necks of These Kings

Joshua 10:20–28

He Utterly Destroyed as Yahweh the God of Israel Commanded

Joshua 10:29–43

Study Verses

• Joshua 9:18–27 We Were Very Afraid For Our Lives
• Joshua 10:1–10 Because It Made Peace With The Israelites
• Joshua 10:11–19 More Died By Hail Stones Than Israelites Killed

Today’s Reading

• Joshua 9:1-27
• Joshua 10:1-43

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Joshua is on his face at the ark of the Lord because of their defeat at Ai. Thirty-six Israelites were killed and Joshua cries out to the Lord in Joshua 7:9 The Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear of this, and they will surround us and cut off our name from the land. What will you do, for your great name?” But in Joshua 7:10 And Yahweh said to Joshua, “Stand up! Why have you fallen on your face?” and in Joshua 7:11 “Israel has sinned and transgressed my covenant that I commanded them. They have taken from the devoted things;”. This is not a problem for the Lord to fix, this is for Joshua to deal with. And once he does, the Lord sends him right back to Ai where they are now completely victorious and in Joshua 8:28 “So Joshua burned Ai and made it an everlasting heap of rubbish, a desolate place until this day” and threw the kings body in Joshua 8:29 “at the entrance of the gate of the city, and they raised over it a great heap of stones that remains to this day”. This may seem brutal, yet God was cleansing the land of evil and the doers of evil. We also have our place to stand against evil doers. Placing a grave at the entrance of the city made it uninhabitable and a memorial of the terrible end waiting for those that would choose to live as they had. 

Stand up!

Joshua 7:8–18
Joshua and the children of Israel are going forward to take their promised land and God is with them as they are forcibly removing the inhabitants of the land city by city. That is, until they get to Ai where in

Joshua 7:5 The men of Ai killed about thirty-six of them, and they chased them from the gate up to Shebarim and killed them on the slope. And the hearts of the people melted and became like water.

Joshua “tore his clothes” and fell “on his face before the ark of Yahweh” in Joshua 7:6 and said “why did you bring this people … to destroy us” in Joshua 7:7 and in

Joshua 7:8 Please, my Lord! What can I say after Israel has fled from its enemies?

Then Joshua, in fear, in disbelief, in confusion, and I think in some self-pity, says to the Lord, “what will you do?” in

Joshua 7:9 The Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear of this, and they will surround us and cut off our name from the land. What will you do, for your great name?”

This is the man that the Lord told to be strong and very courageous. What is he doing here grovelling on the ground? He is the leader of the people so in

Joshua 7:10 And Yahweh said to Joshua, “Stand up! Why have you fallen on your face?

The Lord is telling Joshua, there isn’t any time to feel sorry for yourself, go and do something about it. This wasn’t something for the Lord to do, it was for Joshua to deal with. But then the Lord tells Joshua something Joshua didn’t know in

Joshua 7:11 Israel has sinned and transgressed my covenant that I commanded them. They have taken from the devoted things; they have stolen and acted deceitfully, and they have put them among their belongings.

This reference to “devoted things” is a concept that has no simple English counterpart. It is ‘The Cherem or Ban … Anything that fell under the ban was irrevocably withdrawn from common use, and was either consecrated irredeemably to God or to his sanctuary, Lev. 27:28; Num. 18:14; Ezek. 44:29; or put under a sentence of extermination … the thing so devoted to God was at the same time “most holy to the Lord.”’¹

Joshua had specifically warned the people about this in Joshua 6:18-19 and now, his action was clear. He was to examine the people before the Lord and remove the evil from the people in

Joshua 7:15 The one caught with the devoted things will be burned with fire, he and all that belongs to him, because he transgressed the covenant of Yahweh, and because he did a disgraceful thing in Israel.” ’ ”

It is True I Have Sinned

Joshua 7:19–26 

Do Not Fear or Be Dismayed

Joshua 8:1–10
Joshua has dealt with the sin in the camp, but still has a problem, they had not been able to defeat the people of Ai. So, the Lord give him specific instructions in

Joshua 8:1–2 Then Yahweh said to Joshua, “Do not fear or be dismayed. Take all the fighting men with you and go up immediately to Ai. Look, I am giving into your hand the king of Ai, his city, and his land. 2 You will do to Ai and its king that which you did to Jericho and its king; you may take only its spoils and livestock as booty for yourself. Set for yourself an ambush against the city from behind it.”

Note again the Lord says “do not fear” and he says “take all the fighting men”, there was no half measure here, they were to overwhelm them with force. And, the Lord says “go immediately”, because the people of Ai are still gloating about their easy victory over Israel and they can use that to draw them away from the city for an ambush.

Two more things, from this city, they were allowed to take plunder and livestock. They could take anything they thought they needed and the livestock for food that they needed. And then, they were to burn the city and make it uninhabitable in

Joshua 8:8 And when you capture the city you will set it on fire as Yahweh commanded. Look, I have commanded you.”

I Will Give It Into Your Hand

Joshua 8:11–20 

At The Entrance of The Gate

Joshua 8:21–29
The ambush was successful, all of the fighting men were killed, then those in the city in

Joshua 8:21 And Joshua and all Israel saw that the ambush had captured the city and that the smoke of the city was rising; they returned and struck down the men of Ai.

and then also, those that had fled from the city until in

Joshua 8:25–26 All the people that fell on that day, both men and women, were twelve thousand—all the inhabitants of Ai. 26 For Joshua did not draw back his hand that was stretched out with the sword until he had utterly destroyed all the inhabitants of Ai.

There was not to be any reminder to Israel of their defeat. The Lord was on their side delivering the land into their hands in

Joshua 8:28–29 So Joshua burned Ai and made it an everlasting heap of rubbish, a desolate place until this day. 29 The king of Ai he hanged on a tree until the time of evening, and as the sun went down Joshua commanded them, and they brought down his dead body from the tree. Then they threw it at the entrance of the gate of the city, and they raised over it a great heap of stones that remains to this day.

He Read All The Words of the Law

Joshua 8:30–35

Study Verses

• Joshua 7:8–18 Stand up!
• Joshua 8:1–10 Do Not Fear or Be Dismayed
• Joshua 8:21–29 At The Entrance of The Gate

Today’s Reading

• Joshua 7:8-26
• Joshua 8:1-35

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References

• 1. Berkhof, L. (1915). Biblical Archaeology (p. 154). Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans-Sevensma Co.

The Lord is leading Joshua as they cross the Jordan on dry ground and stop to build a memorial in Joshua 4:24 “so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of Yahweh is strong, so that you may fear Yahweh your God forever.” The Lord tells Joshua to circumcise the Israelites, leaving them unable to defend themselves for days, but they had not done this while they were in the wilderness. Then, Joshua has an encounter in Joshua 5:13–14 when Joshua was by Jericho, he looked up, and he saw a man standing opposite him with his sword drawn in his hand. And Joshua went to him and said, “Are you with us, or with our adversaries?” 14 And he said, “Neither. I have come now as the commander of Yahweh’s army.” And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and he bowed down and said to him, “What is my lord commanding his servant?” We sometimes forget that God is not for us because of our race or culture but he is for those that in Amos 5:15 “Hate evil and love good and establish justice”. Joshua listens as the Lord leads them to walk around the city blowing the ram’s horn once a day for six days and seven times on the seventh day in Joshua 6:16 “And at the seventh time the priests blew on the trumpets, and Joshua said to the people, “Shout! For Yahweh has given you the city” and in Joshua 6:20 “the wall fell flat”. 

The Hand of Yahweh Is Strong

Joshua 4:13–24
The Priests, with the ark of the covenant, went first and the waters parted and they move to the middle of the dry river bed. But the Lord is directing all that they do and Joshua, as commander of the army, sent fighting men across as they made their entrance into enemy territory in

Joshua 4:12–13 The children of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh crossed over armed before the Israelites, as Moses told them. 13 About forty thousand armed for fighting crossed over before the presence of Yahweh to the plains of Jericho for battle.

As all the people had come across, the Lord speaks in

Joshua 4:15–17 Then Yahweh said to Joshua, saying, 16 “Command the priests carrying the ark of the testimony to come up from the Jordan.” 17 So Joshua commanded the priests, saying, “Come up from the Jordan.”

and as they do, the waters begin to flow again. But Joshua does not turn his attention to his defensive forces, instead, they stop and build a memorial of twelve stones, one for each tribe, to remind future generations of Gods great power in

Joshua 4:20–22 And those twelve stones that they took from the Jordan, Joshua set up in Gilgal. 21 And he said to the Israelites, “When your children ask in the future their parents, ‘What is the meaning of these stones?’ 22 you will let your children know by saying, ‘Israel crossed this Jordan on dry ground.’

It is important for us to testify of the goodness of God to our children as we teach them God’s ways. This memorial though, had one other purpose in

Joshua 4:24 so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of Yahweh is strong, so that you may fear Yahweh your God forever.”

 

Joshua Circumcised the Israelites

Joshua 5:1–7
Joshua and his army of forty thousand fighting men have entered enemy territory and all the leaders in all the region have heard in

Joshua 5:1 And it happened, when all the kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan to the west, and all the kings of the Canaanites who were by the sea heard that Yahweh dried up the waters of the Jordan in front of the Israelites until they crossed over, their hearts melted, and there was no courage left in them because of the presence of the Israelites.

This may have seemed the perfect moment to strike, yet the Lord speaks to Joshua and says “circumcise the Israelites” in

Joshua 5:2 At that time Yahweh said to Joshua, “Make for yourself knives of flint, and circumcise the Israelites a second time.”

but this would leave them defenceless for days. The men would need a week to recover and be able to fight. But Joshua heeds God’s admonition to him to “observe diligently the whole law” in Joshua 1:7 and in

Joshua 5:4–5 This is the reason why Joshua circumcised all the people: all the males who went out from Egypt, all the warriors, died in the wilderness as they went out from Egypt on the journey. 5 For all the people who left were circumcised, but all the people born in the wilderness on the journey after they left from Egypt were not circumcised.

Just as the manna had ceased when they entered this land, so their responsibility to fulfill the law of Moses also came into effect. They were no longer wandering in the wilderness with their fathers, “the unbelieving race who, being rejected of the Lord, were doomed to perish in the wilderness … (Nu 14:33) … the covenant would be renewed with them”.¹ and they were now moving into God’s promised plan for them.

I Have Come as Commander of Yahweh’s Army

Joshua 5:8–15
The Lord has been leading Joshua and the children of Israel to this place, yet when Joshua asks, “Are you with us, or our adversaries?” the answer is “neither” in

Joshua 5:13–14 And it happened, when Joshua was by Jericho, he looked up, and he saw a man standing opposite him with his sword drawn in his hand. And Joshua went to him and said, “Are you with us, or with our adversaries?” 14 And he said, “Neither. I have come now as the commander of Yahweh’s army.” And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and he bowed down and said to him, “What is my lord commanding his servant?”

Joshua’s question was a very human perspective. We think only of friend or foe. But the answer “neither” reveals something about God. Anyone that comes to him believing, he will receive. God isn’t for my race or my nationality or my culture, he is for my heart.

You Will March Around the City

Joshua 6:1–8 

Shout! For Yahweh Has Given You the City

Joshua 6:9–17
The Lord had specific instructions for the people of Israel in

Joshua 6:8–9 And when Joshua spoke to the people, the seven priests carrying the seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the presence of Yahweh went forward and they blew the trumpets; and the ark of the covenant of Yahweh followed behind them. 9 And the armed men went before the priests who blew the trumpets, and the rear guard came after the ark, while they were blowing the trumpets.

As they marched around the city, they were not to say a word. The only sound was to be the sound of the ram’s horn until the last moment when they would all shout together in

Joshua 6:10 But Joshua commanded the people, saying, “You will not shout, and you will not let your voice be heard; a word will not go out from your mouth until the day I say to you ‘Shout!’ Then you will shout.”

and so they did for six days in

Joshua 6:13–14 The seven priests carrying the seven trumpets of the rams’ horns before the ark of Yahweh went on continually, and they blew on the trumpets. And the armed men went before them, and the rear guard came after the ark of Yahweh, while the trumpets blew continually. 14 And they marched around the city once on the second day, and they returned to the camp. They did this for six days.

then, on the seventh day, they circle the city seven times, only the sound of the ram’s horn until the last time around in

Joshua 6:15–16 Then on the seventh day they rose early at dawn, and they marched around the city in this manner seven times. It was only on that day that they marched around the city seven times. 16 And at the seventh time the priests blew on the trumpets, and Joshua said to the people, “Shout! For Yahweh has given you the city.

and in Joshua 6:20 “the wall fell flat”.

The Wall Fell Flat

Joshua 6:18–27

The Israelites Broke Faith

Joshua 7:1–7

Study Verses

• Joshua 4:13–24 The Hand of Yahweh Is Strong
• Joshua 5:1–7 Joshua Circumcised the Israelites
• Joshua 6:9–17 Shout! For Yahweh Has Given You the City

Today’s Reading

• Joshua 4:13-24
• Joshua 5:1-15
• Joshua 6:1-27
• Joshua 7:1-7

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References

• 1. Jamieson, R., Fausset, A. R., & Brown, D. (1997). Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (Vol. 1, p. 146). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

As Joshua faces his new position as the leader of Israel, the Lord speaks directly to him confirming the promise and covenant to drive out the inhabitants of this land before them and give it as an inheritance to Israel. The region is well defined and all of it is to be theirs, not Joshua’s, but the children of Israel in Joshua 1:3–4 “Every place that the soles of your feet will tread, I have given it to you, as I promised to Moses. 4 From the wilderness and the Lebanon, up to the great river, the river Euphrates, all of the land of the Hittites, and up to the great sea in the west, will be your territory.” God promises to be with Joshua in Joshua 1:5 “No one will stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so will I be with you; I will not fail you, and I will not forsake you” but Joshua has his part, to be “strong and couragous” and to “observe diligently the whole law”. Then, as they move toward Jericho and the ark of the covenant reaches the Jordan, the waters part before them just as in Joshua 3:10–11 Joshua said, “By this you will know that the living God is in your midst”. 

Every Place The Soles of Your Feet Will Tread

Joshua 1:1–9
There are and have always been boundaries for people to dwell in and those boundaries are set by Gog. God didn’t say to Moses, I am giving you the whole earth and he didn’t say to Moses I am giving you all the land you want. And, God didn’t say to Moses, I am giving you the land. The Lord repeats to Joshua what he had said to Moses as a command now for Joshua “into the land I am giving them” in

Joshua 1:2 “My servant Moses is dead. Get up and cross the Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the Israelites.

Now, if we read the next statements, we find God is giving Joshua a very personal authority and a very specific region that “will be your territory” in

Joshua 1:3–4 Every place that the soles of your feet will tread, I have given it to you, as I promised to Moses. 4 From the wilderness and the Lebanon, up to the great river, the river Euphrates, all of the land of the Hittites, and up to the great sea in the west, will be your territory.

Within this territory, every place he steps belongs to him. And the Lord also gives Joshua another personal promise, God is not just giving him the authority, but the protection and provision to carry it out saying. Joshua had seen Moses stand before Pharaoh and his armies and all of the Israelites that had been afraid to move forward so he understood Gods promise when he said “just as I was with Moses” in

Joshua 1:5 No one will stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so will I be with you; I will not fail you, and I will not forsake you.

But Joshua has his part in this being successful and twice the Lord says to him “strong and courageous” and one more time he says “strong and very courageous” in Joshua 1:6-9. And, the Lord also tells him in these verses to “observe diligently the whole law” and “meditate on it day and night” and hold his tongue so that “this law will not depart from your mouth”. And, there is one more thing the Lord tells Joshua. His promise to Joshua is not for his personal benefit, although Joshua is certainly blessed as he takes on this charge, the Lord says “you will give the people this land as an inheritance” in

Joshua 1:6 Be strong and courageous, for you will give the people this land as an inheritance that I swore to their ancestors to give them.

Being a leader in God’s hands is the greatest honour, and also requires the greatest ability to give. Joshua stood between the opposition in the world and God’s promise to his people as a conduit of God’s provision. Even Jesus said in

Matthew 26:39 And going forward a little he fell down on his face, praying and saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me. Nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.”

Only Be Strong and Courageous

Joshua 1:10–18 

Yahweh Your God is God

Joshua 2:1–11
This land that God has promised is occupied and God had commanded the children of Israel to remove the people and cleanse the land in Deuteronomy 7. So, as all of Israel camped in the forest, “Acacia Grove” where they were unnoticed, Joshua prepares to move into the land and the first city, Jericho, where he sends two men in

Joshua 2:1 Then Joshua son of Nun secretly sent two men from Acacia Grove as spies, saying, “Go, view the land, especially Jericho.” So they went, and entered the house of a prostitute whose name was Rahab, and spent the night there.

It may seem odd that these men would go to the house of a prostitute, but understand the culture of the day. This was a walled and guarded city and there were no public hotels for visitors. Rahab’s house was likely the only place for these visitors to maintain some anonymity. But it is also a place where men of the city might go talking about their lives. Rahab likely knew what was going on in the city. And, it is interesting that when the king heard about spies, he called for her in

Joshua 2:2–3 The king of Jericho was told, “Look, some men from the Israelites have come here tonight to search out the land.” 3 And the king of Jericho sent for Rahab, saying, “Bring out the men who came to you, the ones who have entered your house, for they have come to search out the whole land.”

Rahab protected the men and sent the King’s soldiers searching in another direction in Joshua 2:4-7. Then Rahab came to Joshua’s spies in

Joshua 2:9 and said to the men, “I know that Yahweh has given you the land, and that dread of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt away in fear because of your presence.

then she gave them an account of the great miracles God had done for them “how Yahweh dried up the waters of the Red Sea before you” in Joshua 2:10 and also told them that the people were all afraid because “Yahweh your God is God” in

Joshua 2:11 We heard this, and our hearts melted, and no courage was left in anyone because of your presence. For Yahweh your God is God in the heavens above and on the earth below.

Gather Your Whole Family to Your House

Joshua 2:12–24

Tomorrow Yahweh Will Do Wonders

Joshua 3:1–9 

The Living God Is In Your Midst

Joshua 3:10–17
God uses the very miracle that Rahab mentioned, the parting of the water, to demonstrate his power as Israel entered their promised land. And Joshua declares this sign as God’s promise to deliver in

Joshua 3:10–11 Joshua said, “By this you will know that the living God is in your midst, and he will certainly drive out the Canaanites from before you, and the Hittites, Hivites, the Perizzites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, and the Jebusites. 11 Look! The ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth is about to cross over ahead of you into the Jordan.

Joshua spoke God’s promise and told the people what would happen and then it did. This reminds me of something Jesus said in

Mark 11:23–24 Truly I say to you that whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea!’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. 24 For this reason I say to you, whatever you pray and ask for, believe that you have received it, and it will be done for you.

While some readers may balk at this connection, and, sadly, there are respected commentary’s that deny the power of God saying, “we need not assume that the Jordan was crossed by supernatural means”, I choose to accept the account as given here. God was with them. God does speak things through a man before he moves and as Joshua finished speaking and the priests went forward and reached the edge of the water with the ark, the waters parted in

Joshua 3:15–16 When those carrying the ark came up to the Jordan, and the priests carrying the ark dipped their feet in the edge of the water (the Jordan was flowing over its banks during all the days of harvest), 16 the waters flowing down from above stood still; they stood up in one heap very far from Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan, while the waters flowing down to the sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, were completely cut off; and the people crossed over opposite Jericho.

If you have ever seen a river “flowing over its banks” and when the water flow is stopped, flood waters spread back upstream. Here, it says to the city Adam, some eighteen miles away and Zarethan, miles further and nothing going the nine or so miles downstream to the dead sea in

Joshua 3:16 the waters flowing down from above stood still; they stood up in one heap very far from Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan, while the waters flowing down to the sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, were completely cut off; and the people crossed over opposite Jericho.

If the king of Jericho had not found the encampment of Israel East of the Jordan in the “Acacia Grove” in Joshua 3:1, everyone around them now knows Israel is on the move.

These Stones Will Be As A Memorial

Joshua 4:1–12

Study Verses

• Joshua 1:1–9 Every Place The Soles of Your Feet Will Tread
• Joshua 2:1–11 Yahweh Your God is God
• Joshua 3:10–17 The Living God Is In Your Midst

Today’s Reading

• Joshua 1:1-18
• Joshua 2:1-24
• Joshua 3:1-17
• Joshua 4:1-12

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