Joshua 1

Moses is dead, and God commissions Joshua to lead Israel across the Jordan into the promised land. God’s repeated charge is to be strong, to hold to His Law, and to trust that He is present. The people then prepare to cross and pledge their loyalty to their new leader.

Joshua 1:1

A great leader has died, but God’s work goes on. The LORD speaks to Joshua, who had served Moses for years. Moses is called God’s servant, and Joshua is the assistant who was trained at his side. God’s purposes do not end when a man’s life does.

BSA: assistant (“minister, helper”): Joshua had spent years in humble service, which prepared him to lead.

Hebrew: מְשָׁרֵת (meshāret, H8334) — “one who serves, attendant.” This word describes personal service close to a master. Joshua learned to lead by first serving the leader beside him.

See also: Exodus 24:13.

Joshua 1:2

God states the plain fact: Moses is dead. Then He gives the next step: arise and cross the Jordan. Grief is real, but the promise still stands. The land is something God is giving, not something Israel earns.

BSA: giving (“bestowing, granting”): The land is a gift from God, not a prize taken by Israel’s own strength.

Joshua 1:3

God speaks as though the land is already theirs: I have given it. Yet they must walk on it to possess it. Faith steps out onto what God has promised. The promise goes back to what God told Moses.

BSA: tread (“walk, step on”): The land becomes theirs as they step out in faith, place by place.

See also: Deuteronomy 11:24.

Joshua 1:4

God describes the wide borders of the promise, from the southern wilderness and Lebanon in the north, to the Euphrates in the east, and the Mediterranean in the west. Israel would not fully occupy all this at once. It shows how large God’s gift was.

See also: Genesis 15:18.

Joshua 1:5

God gives two promises: victory over every opponent, and His own presence. The second is the root of the first. The God who stood with Moses will stand with Joshua, and He will not walk away from him.

BSA: forsake (“give up, abandon”): God will not drop His hold on Joshua or give up on him.

See also: Deuteronomy 31:6; Hebrews 13:5.

Joshua 1:6

God first calls for strength and courage. The reason given is that Joshua will lead the people into the inheritance God swore to their fathers. His courage rests on God’s oath, not on his own ability.

BSA: courageous (“to seize or conquer”): The word suggests firm, determined holding on, not a mere feeling of boldness.

Hebrew: חֲזַק וֶאֱמָץ (ḥazaq ve’ĕmāṣ, H2388) — “be strong and firm.” The two words pair a sense of gripping tightly with a sense of standing firm. It is a call to steady resolve.

See also: Genesis 12:7.

Joshua 1:7

Here the charge is repeated, and this time it is tied to obeying the Law. Courage in this chapter means staying on God’s path without veering right or left. Success here means walking faithfully, wherever Joshua goes.

BSA: prosper (“have good success, be successful”): Success is defined by wise, faithful living under God’s word.

See also: Deuteronomy 5:32.

Joshua 1:8

God’s word is to be on Joshua’s lips and in his mind day and night. Meditating meant quietly murmuring the words over and over. The purpose is obedience, and obeying it brings a life that goes well under God’s blessing.

BSA: meditate (“mutter, ponder, reflect”): Meditation was spoken aloud under the breath, so the words soaked in.

Hebrew: הָגִיתָ (hāgîtā, H1897) — “murmur, mutter, ponder.” The word pictures speaking the Scripture softly to oneself again and again, like a steady low hum.

See also: Psalm 1:1-3.

Joshua 1:9

God asks, in effect, whether He has not already given the command. Fear and discouragement are answered by one fact: the LORD is with Joshua everywhere he goes. His presence is not limited to a single place.

BSA: discouraged (“completely broken, dismayed”): God warns against being shattered inside by the size of the task.

See also: Isaiah 41:10.

Joshua 1:10-11

Joshua acts at once, and the first thing he does is give orders. He sends the officers through the camp to tell the people to get food ready. In three days they will cross. Faith shows itself in practical preparation.

BSA: provisions (“food, victuals”): They were to gather real supplies, showing that trusting God includes sensible preparation.

Joshua 1:12-13

Joshua reminds the two and a half tribes who had already settled east of the Jordan of their promise to Moses. They had asked for land there, and Moses agreed on condition that they help their brothers conquer the rest. God’s gift of rest was meant for all Israel.

BSA: rest (“a state of peace, tranquility, settlement”): Rest means a settled, peaceful home given by God after the journey.

See also: Numbers 32:20-22.

Joshua 1:14-15

The families and flocks may stay behind in the safe land, but the fighting men must cross first, armed and ready, to help their brothers. They are to stay until every tribe has its rest. Their own blessing is not complete while their brothers are still struggling.

BSA: help (“assist, aid”): The eastern tribes were to stand shoulder to shoulder with the others until the work was done.

See also: Galatians 6:2.

Joshua 1:16-18

The tribes promise full obedience, just as they obeyed Moses, and they ask that the LORD be with Joshua. They warn that rebellion would be punished by death. They close with the same words God spoke to Joshua: be strong and courageous.

BSA: obeyed (“hearkened unto, listened to”): Obeying means listening with the intention to act.

Hebrew: שָׁמַעְנוּ (shāma’nû, H8085) — “we heard, we listened and obeyed.” In Hebrew, hearing and obeying are the same word. True listening carries through into doing.