In this book we have a continuation of the history of the Israelites after the death of Moses. Joshua, who had been one of Moses’ trusted lieutenants, was selected by God and commissioned as the leader of the people in their occupation of the Promised Land.

Our general commentary on this book will be somewhat limited, but there are a few things we should point out to assist in our understanding of this book and some of the books to follow. The casual reader may get the false impression that God wanted the Israelites to commit indiscriminate murder and annihilation of all the peoples in the land. In Genesis chapter 15 we have God's promises to Abraham including the foretelling of the peoples stay in Egypt and time spent wandering in the desert. This chapter also tells Abraham the extent of the Promised Land, which goes from the Mediterranean Sea across all the way to the Euphrates River. It should be noted that Israel has never occupied more than approximately 10 percent of the land that God designated.

(chpt:  1 Vs: 001)  Now after the death of Moses the servant of the LORD it came to pass, that the LORD spake unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' minister, saying, 

(chpt:  1 Vs: 002)  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. 

(chpt:  1 Vs: 003)  Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses. 

(chpt:  1 Vs: 004)  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 coast. 

(chpt:  1 Vs: 005)  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. 

(chpt:  1 Vs: 006)  Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them. 

(chpt:  1 Vs: 007)  Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest 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 prosper whithersoever thou goest. 

Verses 8 and 9. In these verses the people are instructed to strictly observe the law and are commanded to be strong and of good courage, not to be afraid and not to be dismayed. This would seem to be a strange command, considering the weakness of men, except for the fact that God says he will be with them wherever they go.

This is a good place to stop and go back and review the small door marked faith.

(chpt:  1 Vs: 008)  This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein 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. 

(chpt:  1 Vs: 009)  Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest. 

(chpt:  1 Vs: 010)  Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people, saying, 

(chpt:  1 Vs: 011)  Pass through the host, and command the people, saying, Prepare you victuals; for within three days ye shall pass over this Jordan, to go in to possess the land, which the LORD your God giveth you to possess it. 

(chpt:  1 Vs: 012)  And to the Reubenites, and to the Gadites, and to half the tribe of Manasseh, spake Joshua, saying, 

(chpt:  1 Vs: 013)  Remember the word which Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, saying, The LORD your God hath given you rest, and hath given you this land. 

(chpt:  1 Vs: 014)  Your wives, your little ones, and your cattle, shall remain in the land which Moses gave you on this side Jordan; but ye shall pass before your brethren armed, all the mighty men of valor, and help them; 

(chpt:  1 Vs: 015)  Until the LORD have given your brethren rest, as he hath given you, and they also have possessed the land which the LORD your God giveth them: then ye shall return unto the land of your possession, and enjoy it, which Moses the LORD's servant gave you on this side Jordan toward the sunrising. 

(chpt:  1 Vs: 016)  And they answered Joshua, saying, All that thou commandest us we will do, and whithersoever thou sendest us, we will go. 

(chpt:  1 Vs: 017)  According as we hearkened unto Moses in all things, so will we hearken unto thee: only the LORD thy God be with thee, as he was with Moses. 

(chpt:  1 Vs: 018)  Whosoever he be that doth rebel against thy commandment, and will not hearken unto thy words in all that thou commandest him, he shall be put to death: only be strong and of a good courage. 

In this chapter Joshua sends two spies into the city. These two men make their headquarters in the residence of the local harlot who is named Rahab. She hides and shelters them during their time in the city. Rahab, much to the surprise of many, ends up in the genealogy of Christ. See Matthew the first chapter verse 5. It is obvious from the statements of Rahab that the history of the Israelites and the acts of God were fully known by the people in the Promised Land. For over 400 years they had willfully chosen to do their own thing and ignore God.

In response to Rahab's limited knowledge of God's word, she, in faith asked for deliverance for her family and herself when the city is taken by the Israelites. The two spies promised that it would be so and instructed her concerning the signals that she would give to identify her location when the attack was to occur.

(chpt:  2 Vs: 001)  And Joshua the son of Nun sent out of Shittim two men to spy secretly, saying, Go view the land, even Jericho. And they went, and came into an harlot's house, named Rahab, and lodged there. 

(chpt:  2 Vs: 002)  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 country. 

(chpt:  2 Vs: 003)  And the king of Jericho sent unto Rahab, saying, Bring forth the men that are come to thee, which are entered into thine house: for they be come to search out all the country. 

(chpt:  2 Vs: 004)  And the woman took the two men, and hid them, and said thus, There came men unto me, but I wist not whence they were: 

(chpt:  2 Vs: 005)  And it came to pass about the time of shutting of the gate, when it was dark, that the men went out: whither the men went I wot not: pursue after them quickly; for ye shall overtake them. 

(chpt:  2 Vs: 006)  But she had brought them up to the roof of the house, and hid them with the stalks of flax, which she had laid in order upon the roof. 

(chpt:  2 Vs: 007)  And the men pursued after them the way to Jordan unto the fords: and as soon as they which pursued after them were gone out, they shut the gate. 

(chpt:  2 Vs: 008)  And before they were laid down, she came up unto them upon the roof; 

(chpt:  2 Vs: 009)  And she said unto the men, I know that the LORD hath given you the land, and that your terror is fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you. 

(chpt:  2 Vs: 010)  For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red sea for you, when ye came out of Egypt; and what ye did unto the two kings of the Amorites, that were on the other side Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom ye utterly destroyed. 

(chpt:  2 Vs: 011)  And as soon as we had heard these things, our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more courage in any man, because of you: for the LORD your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath. 

(chpt:  2 Vs: 012)  Now therefore, I pray you, swear unto me by the LORD, since I have showed you kindness, that ye will also show kindness unto my father's house, and give me a true token: 

(chpt:  2 Vs: 013)  And that ye will save alive my father, and my mother, and my brethren, and my sisters, and all that they have, and deliver our lives from death. 

(chpt:  2 Vs: 014)  And the men answered her, Our life for yours, if ye utter not this our business. And it shall be, when the LORD hath given us the land, that we will deal kindly and truly with thee. 

(chpt:  2 Vs: 015)  Then she let them down by a cord through the window: for her house was upon the town wall, and she dwelt upon the wall. 

(chpt:  2 Vs: 016)  And she said unto them, Get you to the mountain, lest the pursuers meet you; and hide yourselves there three days, until the pursuers be returned: and afterward may ye go your way. 

(chpt:  2 Vs: 017)  And the men said unto her, We will be blameless of this thine oath which thou hast made us swear. 

(chpt:  2 Vs: 018)  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 bring thy father, and thy mother, and thy brethren, and all thy father's household, home unto thee. 

(chpt:  2 Vs: 019)  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 will be guiltless: and whosoever shall be with thee in the house, his blood shall be on our head, if any hand be upon him. 

(chpt:  2 Vs: 020)  And if thou utter this our business, then we will be quit of thine oath which thou hast made us to swear. 

(chpt:  2 Vs: 021)  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. 

(chpt:  2 Vs: 022)  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. 

(chpt:  2 Vs: 023)  So the two men returned, and descended from the mountain, and passed over, and came to Joshua the son of Nun, and told him all things that befell them: 

(chpt:  2 Vs: 024)  And they said unto Joshua, Truly the LORD hath delivered into our hands all the land; for even all the inhabitants of the country do faint because of us. 

In this chapter God shows his favor towards Joshua in his instructions concerning the crossing of the River Jordan.

(chpt:  3 Vs: 001)  And Joshua rose early in the morning; and they removed from Shittim, and came to Jordan, he and all the children of Israel, and lodged there before they passed over. 

(chpt:  3 Vs: 002)  And it came to pass after three days, that the officers went through the host; 

(chpt:  3 Vs: 003)  And they commanded the people, saying, When ye see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, and the priests the Levites bearing it, then ye shall remove from your place, and go after it. 

(chpt:  3 Vs: 004)  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. 

(chpt:  3 Vs: 005)  And Joshua said unto the people, Sanctify yourselves: for to morrow the LORD will do wonders among you. 

(chpt:  3 Vs: 006)  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. 

(chpt:  3 Vs: 007)  And the LORD 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. 

(chpt:  3 Vs: 008)  And thou shalt command the priests that bear the ark of the covenant, saying, When ye are come to the brink of the water of Jordan, ye shall stand still in Jordan. 

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