Joshua 1: God’s Commission to Joshua
1 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: 2 “Moses My servant is dead. Now therefore, arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them—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.
“’The nation had mourned Moses’ death for 30 days (Deuteronomy 34:8). Now God instructed Joshua to prepare to enter the land. The death of any of His servants never frustrates or limits God, though this causes Him sorrow ( Psalm 116:15).” (Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable) "Joshua had been prepared for leadership by his close association with Moses for many years. Never is there any indication that he aspired to this place of honor, but in God's time he was able to fit into this place because he was God's choice for it.” (L. M. Grant's Commentary)
Yahweh God speaks directly to Joshua, but the admonition is to obey His revelation to Moses. "Joshua’s commission was the first of its kind, but not the last. No man before Joshua had received orders to regulate his conduct by the words of a written book. Abraham and his household had kept God’s laws. Moses had acted by Divine commission. But Abraham and Moses received their orders from the mouth of Jehovah. Joshua and all his successors must fulfil the orders of 'this book of the law.' Thus Joshua was Moses’ minister in more than one sense. He was Moses’ confidential agent and personal attendant while he lived, and afterwards the executor of that which Moses had written. But the position of Joshua, though at first unique and without precedent, was the position designed for all his successors, more especially for that great Personage whose name Joshua was the first to bear. Joshua and the Book of the Law come before us together, without introduction, in the same passage of the law (Exodus 17:9)." (Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers)
“The condition attached to the actual possession of the land— First of all, we have the principle on which possession is taken; not in the simple exercise of divine power, as that which will take place at the end, but in the energy of the Spirit and in connection with the responsibility of man. The boundaries of the promised land are given; but the knowledge of the boundaries assigned by God was not enough: God had defined them very accurately; but a condition was attached to their possession. ‘Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that I have given unto you.’ They must go there, overcome the obstacles with the help and by the power of God, and take actual possession. Without that they could not possess it.” (John Darby’s Synopsis)
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 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.
“How wonderful the encouragement given to Joshua then, that no one would be able to stand against him all the days of his life, for God would be with him as He was with Moses. This encouragement is intended too for all now who are ‘in Christ Jesus.’ As we depend on Him, no enemy can prevail against us, for we read concerning the Church built by Christ, ‘the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it’ (Matthew 16:18). Let the words of the Lord burn deeply into every believer's heart, ‘I will not leave you nor forsake you’ (v. 5). Such a promise is a wonderful basis for faith to ‘be strong and of good courage’ (v. 6). Yet it is not a selfish courage, for Joshua was to divide the land as an inheritance for all the children of Israel. He was to be a leader whose concern was first for the glory of God, and which therefore also involved concern for the children of Israel.” (L. M. Grant's Commentary)
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. 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. 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.”
Only be strong and very courageous... "Joshua is to make the law of God his rule. He is charged to meditate therein day and night, that he might understand it. Whatever affairs of this world we have to mind, we must not neglect the one thing needful.” (Henry) "For the Christian soldier, then, God’s law is his marching orders. The written word, and especially the Incarnate Word, are our law of conduct. The whole science of our warfare and plan of campaign are there. We have not to take our orders from men’s lips, but we must often disregard them, that we may listen to the ‘Captain of our salvation.’ The soldier stands where his officer has posted him, and does what he was bid, no matter what may happen. Only one voice can relieve him. Though a thousand should bid him flee, and his heart should echo their advices, he is recreant if he deserts his post at the command of any but him who set him there. Obedience to others is mutiny. Nor does the Christian need another law to supplement that which Christ has given him in His pattern and teaching. Men have appended huge comments to it, and have softened some of its plain precepts which bear hard on popular sins. But the Lawgiver’s law is one thing, and the lawyers’ explanations which explain it away or darken what was clear enough, however unwelcome, are quite another. Christ has given us Himself, and therein has given a sufficient directory for conduct and conflict which fits close to all our needs, and will prove definite and practical enough if we honestly try to apply it.” (Alexander Maclaren)
YET: "They never took possession of all the land which God had given.” (Darby) "Joshua’s failure to be entirely successful was not God’s fault but the Israelites.” (Constable) Joshua was only a type of Christ and though they prevailed, they did not occupy the entire land. Surely our Joshua will lead us- the Church- by His Spirit- in securing the whole Heavenly Land.
Joshua 1: The Order to Cross the Jordan
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.'"
"GOD has spoken to Joshua; it is now Joshua's part to speak to the people. " (The Expositor's Bible) Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people..."Pass through the host,.... The whole camp of Israel, consisting of six hundred thousand fighting men: and command the people; even all the people of Israel; this includes women as well as men, for the one, as well as the other, were to do what follows, and especially it may seem the business of the former." (John Gill's Exposition)
"Joshua's first orders to the people were to prepare for the passage of Jordan within three days. We may compare this event, in its relation to Joshua, with the giving of the law from Sinai to Moses. Both were preceded by a three days' notice and a sanctification of the people. Both were means employed by God to establish the leaders whom He had chosen in the position which He designed for them. (Comp. Exodus 19:9; Exodus 19:11 with Joshua 1:11; Joshua 3:7; Joshua 4:14.)" (Ellicott)
Many assume that he meant for them to gather three days of provision which, if manna, would have spoiled if kept for the next day, except for the Sabbath. Yet, this order was to gather manna and a warning concerning a march order that would occur in three days. There would be no need for three days of manna for Yahweh to continue to feed Israel, because it continued until they ate of the food of the "produce of the land," "the new grain just coming in at the time of the Passover. (Joshua 5:12.)" (Barnes)
Yet even so: ”Perhaps a larger supply of this heavenly food was upon this particular occasion given them, as they were now going to besiege Jericho. But be this as it may, the Christian Reader may find a sweet lesson here. Wherever we are called, or to whatever siege we are led, until we come to Canaan itself, Jesus is the manna of his people. Not a day can we subsist without him. Lord the Holy Ghost! do thou prepare this spiritual food for me and give me increasing supplies of Jesus, until that I come to the heavenly Jerusalem, where he will be my food and my glory forever. Revelation 7:17." (Hawker's Poor Man's Commentary)
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 is giving you rest and is giving 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.’”
Yahweh your God IS GIVING YOU REST…. “Observe this phrase, as applied to the settlement of Israel in the land of promise, on either side of Jordan. Those who condemn the two and a half tribes (or the persons whom they suppose to be spiritually represented by them) for not going far enough, should notice that on both sides of Jordan equally there was the 'rest of God.' But this 'rest 'is only the first stage of several in Israel's history. We find it again in the reign of David (2 Sam 7:1), Solomon (1 Chron 22:9), Esther (Josh 9:16-18; 9:22), and we must not forget the comment in Hebrews 4, obtained from Psalms 95 : 'For if Joshua had given them rest, then would He not afterward have spoken of another day.' 'These all received not the promise.' 'There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.' The last rest is Sabbatical; the rests that precede it are halting-places on the way." (Ellicott) But this rest does not even speak of the weekly Sabbath rest. In the book of Hebrews chapter 4, using psalm 95 as a reference, Paul makes the case for a greater rest for the children of Israel. "The ‘rest’ to which the apostle was pointing the Hebrews was so blessed, so important, so far surpassing anything that Judaism had known, that he was the more careful they should not be mistaken in connection with its nature and character.” (A. W. Pink)
Paul turns them from types and shadows to the substance itself. He makes the case for rest referring to the believer’s trust in a Greater than Joshua to help them keep the Commandments of God... and thus to inherit eternal life. “In Christian experience the crossing of the Jordan does not just correspond to the believer’s death and entrance into heaven, which some popular Christian songs suggest. It also parallels the believer’s entrance into the enjoyment of his or her eternal life now through dedication to Jesus Christ (Rom 6:13; 12:1-2) and through walking by means of the Spirit (Gal 5:16). The wilderness wanderings resemble the experience of the... [seeker] who has not yet fully committed himself or herself to God and is walking in the flesh. When the Israelites crossed the Jordan [for war] they encountered enemies and had to contend with their spiritual adversaries, just as a believer does when he dedicates himself to God and walks by the Spirit. The Christian’s rest is not the absence of hostility. It is the beginning of the enjoyment of some blessings God has promised us (i.e, eternal life, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, victory over our spiritual enemies, etc.). ‘…In other words, it is a decision by a regenerate saint to submit to the lordship of Christ and trust God for victory in the spiritual battle.’ [Dillow] ” (Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable)
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 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."
"This promise of obedience may be taken as the reply of the whole people to Joshua’s orders, not that of the two and a half tribes alone." (Ellicott) "Shall be put to death - A righteous verdict against the rebel, and in accordance with the law of the Most High. Deut 17:12." (Whedon)... as an example to future generations of the nature of God's wrath which will one day be poured out on His enemies in the form of an eternal death sentence. “This was martial law; he who disobeyed the command of his general should be put to death. To this the people agreed, and it was essentially necessary in order that proper discipline should be kept up in this great army. By insubordination their fathers had suffered much in the wilderness; they rejected the authority of Moses, mutinied and made themselves a leader to conduct them back to Egypt. (See Numbers 14:4;). And Joshua himself, for attempting to encourage them against their fears, was near being stoned to death. It was necessary, therefore, that they should give him the most positive assurance that they would not act as their fathers had done.” (Adam Clarke) "Then they repeated to Joshua what God had told him, 'Only be strong and of good courage.' How deeply does every believer need this positive message!" (L. M. Grant)